The British people are missing income tax, according to an opinion poll. A decade after its abolition, the NOP survey showed that people felt they were contributing to the country when they paid income tax. 'I know we pay tax in other ways, but somehow it doesn't feel like it,' said one respondent. One explanation is that people have grown nostalgic for the welfare state of the second half of the 20th century. So-called 'DIY welfare' initially proved very popular until the great mis-selling scandal over private health insurance in the early 2020s, which left thousands of people without proper cover. DS
Government actions to end truancy in schools, including the application of parenting orders and the 'chipping' of children, may have gone too far. Schools in England have reported that many parents may be failing to register their children: school rolls have dropped dramatically in the past two years. PF
This has been the stormiest year on record, with 18 severe hurricanes hitting heavily populated parts of the world. The worst was the Bengal cyclone, which killed 400,000 people and flooded fertile rice-growing land in south Asia. The World Meteorological Organisation blames climate change brought on by pollution for the floods that have hit many coastal areas and the droughts in the tropics. PR
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